Wesley Scott, 47, who was profiled in a 1988 Time magazine article about racism in Chicago's near west suburbs, is scheduled to be off until Wednesday, by which time the results of the follicle test should be back, town spokesman Dan Proft said.
Cicero Police Cmdr.
Town officials are standing by Scott, even as the Police Department's internal affairs unit investigates the arrest, he said.
"We're surprised and being cautious," Proft said. "Wesley Scott has earned the benefit of the doubt, and we're giving him the benefit of the doubt."
Scott was pulled over about 9 p.m. Sunday at 67th Street and Ashland Avenue in the Englewood neighborhood after running a stop sign in his personal vehicle, Chicago police spokeswoman Monique Bond said. Officers smelled a suspicious odor and searched the vehicle, turning up a burned marijuana cigarette and 4.6 grams of the drug—about one-sixth of an ounce—in a plastic bag on top of the console, she said. Scott refused a command to remain in the vehicle but wasn't charged for that, she said.
He was released on his own recognizance.
The 21-year police veteran has been a prominent figure in Cicero, spearheading the "Shop with a Cop" program that provided underprivileged children with $200 gift certificates at Christmas.
"That's the Wesley Scott I'm familiar with and the town of Cicero is familiar with," Proft said. "His record has been exemplary."
Proft said members of the Cicero police officers union are eligible for drug testing only when there is cause, such as shoddy work or an on-the-job accident. Non-union employees, like Scott, have been eligible for an additional random test since the beginning of the year.
Scott was appointed patrol commander in 2005 by Cicero Town President Larry Dominick, who worked alongside him in the Police Department for years, Proft said.
Scott, a native of Chicago's Beverly neighborhood, has said that when he first worked as a Cicero police officer, he faced hostility and racial slurs from some town residents and even some fellow officers. At times, he has said, he feared for his family's safety
In a recent Tribune article about his promotion to commander, Scott said that now when he faces hostility on duty, he has a different reaction.
"I never immediately assume it's because of race. . . . I just try to be accountable for my actions, and I treat people how I would like my brother, sister, mom or dad to be treated."
Cicero Police Cmdr.
Town officials are standing by Scott, even as the Police Department's internal affairs unit investigates the arrest, he said.
"We're surprised and being cautious," Proft said. "Wesley Scott has earned the benefit of the doubt, and we're giving him the benefit of the doubt."
Scott was pulled over about 9 p.m. Sunday at 67th Street and Ashland Avenue in the Englewood neighborhood after running a stop sign in his personal vehicle, Chicago police spokeswoman Monique Bond said. Officers smelled a suspicious odor and searched the vehicle, turning up a burned marijuana cigarette and 4.6 grams of the drug—about one-sixth of an ounce—in a plastic bag on top of the console, she said. Scott refused a command to remain in the vehicle but wasn't charged for that, she said.
He was released on his own recognizance.
The 21-year police veteran has been a prominent figure in Cicero, spearheading the "Shop with a Cop" program that provided underprivileged children with $200 gift certificates at Christmas.
"That's the Wesley Scott I'm familiar with and the town of Cicero is familiar with," Proft said. "His record has been exemplary."
Proft said members of the Cicero police officers union are eligible for drug testing only when there is cause, such as shoddy work or an on-the-job accident. Non-union employees, like Scott, have been eligible for an additional random test since the beginning of the year.
Scott was appointed patrol commander in 2005 by Cicero Town President Larry Dominick, who worked alongside him in the Police Department for years, Proft said.
Scott, a native of Chicago's Beverly neighborhood, has said that when he first worked as a Cicero police officer, he faced hostility and racial slurs from some town residents and even some fellow officers. At times, he has said, he feared for his family's safety
In a recent Tribune article about his promotion to commander, Scott said that now when he faces hostility on duty, he has a different reaction.
"I never immediately assume it's because of race. . . . I just try to be accountable for my actions, and I treat people how I would like my brother, sister, mom or dad to be treated."
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